Beginning with its distribution at World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, YouCat is finding its place among the various tools that can help explain the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church in a clear and comprehensible way.

It will surely be a great help for the extra catechesis and other activities that will be planned for the upcoming Year of Faith too.

Of related interest:

Be Firm in Your Faith – Here you can read the memorable and powerful words he addressed to young believers to strengthen them in faith and encourage them to bring the Gospel out into the world through their daily lives.

Way of Calvary – As well as Pope Benedict’s reflections from his Via Crucis with young people in Madrid, this booklet also contains images of the stunning Spanish statues used during the celebration with the Holy Father.

EWTN featured the CTS publication Evangelium not long ago and at the end of last week, YouCat published by the CTS in the UK and Ireland, was also looked at.

Fr Joseph Fessio of Ignatius Press – who publish YouCat in the US – was on Life on the Rock, telling the story of how YouCat came about and showing that it has been written for young people by young people.

The show includes discussions on how important Pope Benedict’s role in this catechism is, what part it will play in the upcoming World Youth Day and a review by young people on YouCat as a new unpacking of the deposit of faith.

True Love – Passion & Purity – This booklet helps the reader gain an insightful understanding of our deepest need to love and be loved, and what place our sexuality has in this important aspect of our lives.

A Way of Life for Young Catholics – Written for young Catholics who want to live their faith more deeply but are not sure what steps to take, this booklet contains practical, down-to-earth advice on many aspects of daily life.

How to Discover your Vocation – This booklet will help you to think and pray about your vocation and become clearer about where God is leading you. It answers many of the practical questions you may be asking: What are the different Christian vocations? How does God guide us and speak to us? How can I be more open to my vocation, and come to a decision?

EWTN featured the CTS publication Evangelium not long ago and at the end of last week, YouCat published by the CTS in the UK and Ireland was looked at.
Fr Joseph Fessio of Ignatius Press – who publish YouCat in the US – was on Life on the Rock, telling the story of how YouCat came about and showing that it has been written for young people by young people.
The show includes discussions on how important Pope Benedict’s role in this catechism is, what part it will play in the upcoming World Youth Day and a review by young people on how YouCat is a new unpacking of the deposit of faith.

The president of Ignatius Press, Mark Brumley has given an interview about YouCat (the new Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church) pointing out that it proves how important the Church considers young people to be.

Speaking to Zenit News Agency, Brumley argued that the new Catechism is about explaining and inspiring faith.

“The Church’s leaders care enough about them [young people] to tell them the truth but to do so with regard for how young people perceive things. Young people need to understand and personally believe the Church’s faith.

“They need to celebrate it in the sacraments, especially in Holy Mass. And they need to live it in their families, parishes, schools, and the world, especially among their peers. That whole process of Christian living begins with having the faith presented in an engaging way. Youcat does that.”

CTSis publishing YouCat this April in the UK and Ireland and our General Secretary Fergal Martin agrees that this a great opportunity:

“As the Holy Father says in his introduction: ‘you need to know your faith with that same precision with which an IT specialist knows the inner workings of a computer’. YouCat is just that chance to gain the kind of knowledge people long for. With World Youth Day on the horizon too, it’s a really exciting time for spreading the Gospel among young people, and by young people. This new catechism is one vital new tool for doing that.”

True Love – Passion & Purity – This booklet helps the reader gain an insightful understanding of our deepest need to love and be loved, and what place our sexuality has in this important aspect of our lives.

A Way of Life for Young Catholics – Written for young Catholics who want to live their faith more deeply but are not sure what steps to take, this booklet contains practical, down-to-earth advice on many aspects of daily life.

How to Discover your Vocation – This booklet will help you to think and pray about your vocation and become clearer about where God is leading you. It answers many of the practical questions you may be asking: What are the different Christian vocations? How does God guide us and speak to us? How can I be more open to my vocation, and come to a decision?

Benedict XVI’s new book Jesus of Nazareth II is the first time a Pope has written so extensively about Jesus, simply as a theologian. But as the CEO of Ignatius Press, the book’s US publisher (the publisher for Britain and Ireland is Catholic Truth Society) explained to the world’s media, that is not the only first.

Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week – From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, was launched last week in the Vatican.

The Vatican Publishing House published the book in Italian, and it was also released by various publishers in English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Polish.

Mark Brumley, president and CEO at Ignatius, identified several factors that may make the book historic.

“There are a number of ‘firsts’ here. It’s the first time a Pope has written a book with this much depth on Jesus; it’s the first time the Pope has engaged modern historical scholarship; and this is the first time the Pope has balanced out the method of historical scholarship with a broader theological approach to the Bible,” Brumley said. “Those are three significant firsts.”

At the launch, there was also a discussion about what the book means for Christians in general.

A Protestant perspective, and Vatican II

Protestant biblical scholar Ben Witherington III, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky and at St. Andrews University in Scotland, added his commendation, beginning by putting the work in the context of Vatican II.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in Jesus scholarship and writing books about Jesus, and one of the things I have seen in the (guild) of biblical scholars worldwide is that Catholic and Protestant (exegy) have come closer and closer together in their understanding of both historical Jesus and the Christ of faith, and then worked together to better understanding.”

Witherington explained:

“I think this book is a very significant book that does precisely that, it helps us both with our knowledge and understanding of Jesus from a historical and critical point of view, but also with our faith. You see knowledge and vital piety in this book, and it’s a very welcome sight indeed.”

A work that will aid unity

Brumley added:

“Reading this book helps Christians, especially Protestants and Catholics, and Christians and Jews, and believers and unbelievers overcome unnecessary differences, differences that arise from misunderstandings, misreading, and I would say even within our own Christian tradition misreading of the Gospel passages.

“The (Holy Father) did a great job of summarizing one of those mis-readings, but also — our differences will be clearer. And I think that actually serves the cause of unity.”

If you have not already done so, you can order the book and read all the pre-publication extracts here. If you do have the book, we welcome your comments and reviews!

Of related interest:

Jesus of Nazareth Vol. I – Pope Benedict successfully corrects certain erroneous tendencies in modern biblical scholarship which have diminished our confidence in the reliability of Scripture and in our ability to know Jesus through it.

Lent: Walking towards the Resurrection – Pope Benedict’s illuminating and probing Lenten reflections on the season’s scripture and liturgies culminate in the greatest treasure of all: our personal participation in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Via Dolorosa with Pope Benedict XVI – Well-known Gospel passages, prayers and beautiful illustrations are powerfully drawn together in these probing meditations on suffering, the cross, the place of evil and sin in our world.

The Pope’s book Jesus of Nazareth II has hit the headlines in these days, after revelations about the Holy Father’s opinion on who killed Christ. These have been very positively received by Jewish leaders and campaigners.

We now wish to bring to your attention the opinion of Jewish Scholar, Jacob Neusner.

He will familiar to those who read the first part of Jesus of Nazareth, as the author of “A Rabbi Talks with Jesus”, a book the Holy Father highly recommended as a great treatise on Jesus’ relationship to the Jewish law.

Benedict as successor of St Peter

Professor Neusner says,

“On the Day of Pentecost, Peter sought to explain to the assembled multitude what God had done through Jesus of Nazareth, crucified and risen.